Curse Starbucks

I went for almost 12 years without drinking Starbucks. Then, one day, I drank a Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade- Black, half sweet. I'm pretty sure they put crack in their products. Otherwise the whole world wouldn't be addicted to them, right? I'm sure I would have been addicted long before now if I liked coffee.

There I was, begging the children to let me make a pit stop at Starbucks. They rarely agreed. Which, I'm sure, was a good thing. Then, one day, I needed a snack and got a piece of iced lemon cake to go with my tea. Dominic was hooked. He started asking me to make a pit stop at Starbucks. A few days ago, Gabriel tried the stupid lemon cake. Tonight, he called me when I was on my way home and asked me if I could stop at Starbucks. We have one hold out, but I'm sure he'll come around.

As a result of the crack that Starbucks so obviously puts in all their products, I am asking that all my birthday presents be gift cards to Starbucks. I have to support my habit, don't you know.

Online Homeschool Debates

I love a good debate. But, I really try to stay away from the online debates about homeschooling. There is currently a not-too-vitriolic debate going on here:

Is Home School a Good Option for Middle School

I read through all the comments. They are predictable. Then, one teacher decided that her experience with homeschoolers was more relevant than those of us who actually spend time with homeschoolers. She said

Here is the problem: if you are a homeschooling parent, you have seen its effects on your 2 or 3 kids. So it is 100%. I have taught over 1000 kids. Probably 3% or maybe 4% have been involved in homeschooling—it is not very common around here. So that would be 30-40 kids. My evaluation of 100% successful homeschool instruction is close to zero. Pretty darned successful: maybe 10%. Averagely successful: another 15%. Unsuccessful or a plain old disaster: 75%. Now, on the public school: more than 25% successful. So, as far as the chance a homeschooled child around here will have a markedly successful experience, it does not make much sense. But if it is YOUR child and it is successful, it is 100%. See the difference? I can only say what I have observed in the bigger picture.

I have a different take on this. Since she is not clear on this point, I'm going to assume that the only homeschool kids she knows are those that have returned to school. I'm guessing that 95 to 100% of those kids are returning to school because their parents believe that their homeschooling is failing. So, she only sees the part of the homeschooling population that is failing.

We, on the other hand, see it all. We see 100% of the homeschooling population. We see the homeschoolers that are failing, the ones that are succeeding, the ones that are just getting by, and the ones we think are just plain crazy. (We all have this opinion about someone, admit it. Then again, I'm pretty sure that all teachers probably have this opinion about some other teacher.)

We also see the public school students. We're not isolated, despite appearances to the contrary. We know that there are more public school failures than not. We talk to the graduates from public schools, and we know that they are almost none of them are 100% successful.

How do you define 100% success, anyway? Do you define it as a good working knowledge of how to find out the answer to a question? After all, if you know how to do this, you can learn anything, at any time. Do you define it as a comprehensive knowledge of literature, writing, mathematics, history, science, and foreign language? If so, then I would say that your 25% rate is closer to 0%. Do you define it as the ability to converse intelligently on any given subject? Again, your success rate is closer to 0%.

And, then, another commenter rolled out the old standby, saying that "Research indicates that parental involvement is one of the biggest predictors of school success.”

This, of course, was in response to questioning public school's ability to teach our children. The commenter was saying it's not the the school's/teacher's fault. But, if we are the reason our children succeed, why can't we teach them?

Businesses are frustrated by high school graduates' inability to do math. Colleges are frustrated by high school graduates' inability to succeed in college. Yet, both businesses and colleges are actively recruiting home school graduates. If that doesn't answer the question of whether or not homeschool is successful, please tell me what will. Because, honestly, you more than likely don't know anything about homeschooling if you don't believe in it.

Obviously, I got the Perfect Attendance Award

Tonight, I was the first person in our dojong to receive an attendance award. They didn't award it because of me, but never doubt that I definitely deserved it. I am there almost every night of the week. We are changing our schedule a bit, so that we won't be there Thursday nights. Instead, we will be there on Saturday afternoons. But, up until now, we have been there every night, Monday through Friday.

Of course, there is a reason we're there so much. Actually, there are three reasons. The first reason is that I have what I like to call an addictive personality. It's not a personality that makes other people addicted to being around me (although I wouldn't mind thinking that), rather it is a personality that is easily addicted to things. I'm addicted to Tae Kwon Do. The second reason is that it keeps us busy. When we're at the dojong, we're not sitting at home thinking about Gary not being here. The third reason is that it is saving my sanity, slowly but surely. I really believe that if it were not for doing Tae Kwon Do that our family would not be nearly as stable as it is right now. Surely a few of my children would not be alive today. Instead of throttling my children, I go to Tae Kwon Do.

So, of course I was the first person to receive this award. Now, I have to sew the patch on my dobok. Of course, at the same time, I should sew the boys' Student Achievement patches on their doboks. They've had those since December. I am obviously not going to win the non-procrastinating award. But, maybe they should come up with a "Spends the Most Time at the Dojong" award. I think I would be a contender.

Review Tuesday 2-17-2009

Did you notice how applicable last week's review was? I mean, focusing on presidents the week before Presidents' Day was a really great idea. Too bad I didn't actually think of it. I love coincidences.

While I love the cohesion of review themes, I don't always think about what I'm going to review before I sit down to do the review. That should not come as a surprise. Today's review is not even close to having cohesion. Today, I'm reviewing Pay Per Post. I'm also reviewing Starbuck's Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade. I'm kidding. But, if you wanted to send me one, I wouldn't mind. Actually, I'm reviewing Revlon's new Creme Gloss. Finally, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon.

I started using Pay Per Post last year in May. I really didn't make much money from it for a while. In fact, I completely forgot about it for several months. Then, in January, I started using Pay Per Post again. This time, I have made more money. In January, I made approximately $150. Now, that may not seem like much, but when you think about the fact that I wrote 15 posts for that, it is descent money. Since each post only took me maybe 5 to 10 minutes, and the posts averaged out to about $10 a post, you could say that I was making $60 an hour when I actually wrote a post.

I definitely could have made more money. I refuse to turn my blog into a 'walking' advertisement, though. I only post about things I'm actually interested in. If you're looking to make a little extra money through your blog, this could be a great way to do it. It is easy to qualify, and that small amount of money could make a huge difference.

Revlon's Creme Gloss: This is a new product by Revlon, as evidenced by the big NEW flag on it. It is... a creamy lip gloss. This lip gloss has major color impact. It has rich, solid color, along with a nice gloss. If you like your lips to be shiny and colorful, but don't like to use a two step approach, this may be for you. The color comes up through the brush. This means that you have to relearn how to apply your lip color. After all, most of us are used to using a lip stick. It does, however, give you more precision control over where you put the color. As a result, you're more likely to color inside the lines.

This product does not dry out your lips. It is not an extremely long lasting color, but lasts well enough to get you to your first bathroom break of the morning (especially if you're pregnant- I mean, your first bathroom break comes right after you leave the bathroom, right?).

I do recommend this product. NOW, I'm going to tell you how to get two for free this week. Walgreens is running a buy 1 get 1 free special on Revlon this week. This month, they're running a special where you purchase one of these Creme Glosses, and they will give you a full refund up to $10. These run right at $9.99. So, you go buy 2 and pay $9.99 for both. Then, you send in for your refund, and you'll have two new free lip glosses. If you have coupons for Revlon products, you could actually make money buying these. ;)

Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon:

This book was recommended to me by Michelle, when I was talking about my horrible PMS.

This book mainly talks about the effect nutrition has on your fertility cycle. It discusses the things you need to eat and the things you need to avoid in order to have a normal fertility cycle. This book was really written for couples who want to practice Natural Family Planning. It is extremely difficult to practice Natural Family Planning, if you don't have a normal cycle. The goal of the book is to normalize your cycle. However, it does focus on PMS symptoms, as well.

Part one of the book focuses on eating well to improve your health. Part two focuses on problems with fertility cycles. It first talks about a normal fertility cycle, something I had never had prior to reading this book. Then, it goes on to discuss problems, such as, premenstrual syndrome (check), cycle irregularities and female infertility (check, check), difficult menstruation (check), infections, pregnancy (check), repeated miscarriage and birth defects, premenopause, the male connections, yeast overgrowth, and has a question and answer section.

So, was this book helpful? I can only say, "YES!" I will admit that I did not do everything she suggests. In fact, I have only changed three things in my diet. I cut out caffeine, refined sugar, and refined flour. Within a month of making that change, my mood swings are less. My water retention is almost non-existent. I have very little cramping. I no longer vomit before I start my menstruation. So, I am definitely recommending this book.

I cannot say whether or not it would help fertility problems. However, since irregularities in menstrual cycles are indications of fertility problems, I would say that it probably would help. If you have any questions, please ask, and I'll try to answer them.

Procastinators Anonymous

I may or may not be a wee bit of a procrastinator. Would it be too late to send out my Christmas cards this week? No? Good, because they have pictures in them, and they're going out. Go ahead and laugh now. ;)

Homeschool Spending

Sheri asked homeschoolers what they would spend 'per pupil' funding if we received it. I thought this would be fun. If you want to play along, drop a link in her comment box after you do so. The per pupil spending in Kentucky is approximately $8200. Since I have 3 students, I would receive $24,600. The first year, it would be easier to spend this money, because I have some big ticket items I would want to buy. The subsequent years, I would probably utilize more online classes, language tutors, and more expensive field trips. Without further ado, I give you "My Wish List."

Electric Piano: $1599 My piano will not hold a tune for more than a few days. This would enable the boys to practice without us having to hear them all the time (headphones). That would mean that one boy could practice while the other boys were doing schoolwork. Of course, they would need a teacher. So, piano lessons needs to be included. $2520 This, of course, would all be part of arts education.

Digital Microscope: $785 I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain this one.

3 iMac computers: $3,600 If they each had their own computer, they would be able to utilize online instruction at the same time. Having three computers would allow each of them to watch educational videos pertinent to what they are learning. They would also be able to do research, write reports, use computer programs, practice typing, and use all the digital media I would also buy. I would buy Discovery Education Science, Discovery Education Streaming, History Education, and Rosetta Stone: $1298

4 chairs: $1996 We spend a great amount of time reading. It would be nice to have somewhere comfortable to do so.

Encyclopedias: $1099 The internet is a great research tool. However, an encyclopedia is still a great standby, and I want my children to have access to a set.

Bookshelves: $200 These are needed to hold the books and curriculum I would buy. I would allocate $3,000 to new books, curriculum, and online courses.

Art Classes: $2520

Field Trips and Museum memberships: $1000

Space Camp for Gabriel: $800
Robotics camp: $1875 for 3 courses each

That only adds up to $22,292. I would have an additional $2,000 to spend. Perhaps, we could spend that on gas to get to classes and field trips. Maybe, Gabriel could attend a language immersion camp. I'm sure he would enjoy that. I could take some courses for teacher training.

Get Out The Cookies Campaign: Thanking Military Recruiters

Happy Valentine's Day. This morning, I realized that today is the 14th anniversary of the day I left for boot camp. I've been thinking about recruiters a lot, lately. Sgt. and Mrs. Hub posted a couple articles about the military, and her husband just got off recruiter duty. So, I’ve been thinking about recruiters.

I just want to say thank you to all the men and women who serve as recruiters. It is a hard job that takes a lot of time away from your life and family. Most of the time, it is a thankless job. Many times, people are downright ugly to recruiters.

So, today, I want to thank my recruiter. He didn’t have to do a lot. After all, I walked into his office and said, “Put me on a ship, yesterday.” I was the dream recruit. I scored high on my ASVAB, had no criminal record, etc, plus, I was ready to go. And, he put me on a plane to Great Lakes, Illinois approximately 2 weeks after I walked into his office for the first time. I have never regretted it. I can’t say that I loved the Navy, but I didn’t hate it, either. I hated my job, but loved the atmosphere. As a result, I ended up somewhere in the middle. I will say, though, that I loved being at sea. I miss it, even 12 years later.

Then, I want to thank Gary’s recruiter. I don’t know how Gary feels about his recruiter. But, I am very thankful to him. After all, if it weren’t for Gary’s recruiter, we wouldn’t be married, and I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.

This brings me to the reason I am writing this post. It infuriates irritates me that so many people are so derogatory toward recruiters. I think that we should all go and thank our local recruiters. After all, without them, we would not have a military. Without our military, we would not be free. Military recruiters go through a lot. They work long hours and are gone from their families a lot. Yet, they rarely get thanked for the service they provide to our country.

I want to start a “Get out the cookie campaign.” On February 27th, 2 weeks from today, the boys and I will be taking cookies to our local recruiting office. We’ll also take them some homemade thank you cards. I would love to see other people do the same thing on the same day. Perhaps we could make it an annual thing. But, I need your help. Please, help me get out the word about this. Email your friends and family. If you have a blog, mention it. I’m starting a Facebook group for this. It’ll be called “Get out the cookies: Support our Recruiters.” Then, if you’re able, on February 27th, get over to your local recruiters and tell them thank you.

Condos versus Hotels

Last April, we went to Florida for vacation. We stayed in a condo because we were there for 5 ½ weeks. However, I learned a few things that will come in handy the next time we choose to go on vacation.

A condo is better than a hotel room:

While many hotel rooms have microwaves and small refrigerators, condos usually come with a fully equipped kitchen. This means that you don’t have to eat out the entire time you are on vacation. Not only does this mean you’ll save money, but it also means that you can have a leisurely breakfast, eating the things your family likes, not just what the hotel has at the continental breakfast.

You can get a condo the size you need. We had a two-bedroom condo. This meant the adults were in one room, and the children in another. It also had two full bathrooms. So, when we came in from the beach or pool, the kids could hop into the shower at the same time. This helped keep down the shivering aspect of the beach.

You have increased privacy. Many of the condos are in small condo communities. This means that some of them are owner occupied. This means that there are many fewer party animals, which is good for families. In fact, the community we stayed in was very friendly. We got to know several of the owners. Granted, we were there for almost 6 weeks, but we met the next-door neighbor immediately. He was very nice and gave us a Monopoly game. Who knew that a friendly neighbor would lead to a new passion for our 8 year old, a passion that has led to him collecting Monopoly games?

The prices can often be much more friendly, as well. A week at a hotel can run very expensive when compared to a week at a condo. This is not always the case, but it is definitely worth looking into. And, just like hotels, there are all levels of condos. If you want a full cleaning service, with other amenities, you can get that. Or, you can find a more budget friendly condo that is still wonderful to stay in, but doesn’t have maid service.

When we were looking for a condo, I turned to the Internet. I found a great site that provides rental information for destinations all over the country. So, for instance, if I was looking for something in Ocean City, MD, I would go to vacation rental in Ocean City, MD. We may well go back to Florida this year. And, we were so pleased by our condo that we will stay there again, if we go back. Hopefully, we will see the friends we made last year.

America's Presidents: A Museum in a Book Giveaway

Time's up! The winner is #4 Mindy. Congratulations. Thank you, everyone, for entering!

This week, I'm giving away America's Presidents by Chuck Wills. To see a review on this book, please visit this post. Just leave a comment, and you'll be entered. Please, leave you email. This will cut down on how long it will take me to get in touch with you. It will also prevent me from having to redraw due to lack of response. This giveaway ends next Tuesday, February 17. I will draw on Wednesday and post the results then. Thanks!

Review Tuesday 2/10/2009: The President Edition

Gabriel is obsessed with the American Presidents. Two of his favorite Christmas presents were books about the Presidents. One of those books is eminently worthy of being purchased by everyone and their brother, so I thought I would showcase it today, along with other president related paraphernalia. Today's website is American Presidents: Life Portraits. Today's product is Hail to the Chief. The reason for today's theme, America's Presidents by Chuck Wills, is our book.

American Presidents: Life Portraits: This is a companion site for C-Span's television series: American Presidents: Life Portraits.

This site contains

• Biographical facts
• Key events of each presidency
• Presidential places
• Reference material

along with a complete video archive of the series. You can also tour Presidential and Vice Presidential grave sites.

Hail to the Chief:



I have reviewed this product before, but I don't think I did a good job. So, I'm going to have a go at it, again. This game consists of two parts. First, you play around the outside of the board, answering questions about presidents and the Constitution (the primaries). Then travel around the states answering questions about history and geography, until you win the election.

This game is a lot of fun, and very challenging. Each question card has four levels of questions: easy child, hard child, easy adult, and hard adult. But, even the easy child questions can be difficult. This is an amazing game for learning trivia about our country. It is for 2-4 players, ages 10 and up. However, we play with all 5 of us. We play on teams. Mostly, Gabriel wins. He's the American history nut of the family, after all. He knows more about the past presidents than the rest of the family put together. So, you could potentially play this game as teams. After all, all campaigns have teams, right?

America's Presidents by Chuck Wills:

This book is in the "A Museum in a Book" series. It starts with George Washington and goes through George W. Bush. The book has a lot of information, and artwork that is from museums. For instance, on George Washington's pages, there are paintings of the Delaware crossing, and Washington speaking during the signing of the U.S. Constitution. But, what makes this book truly unique, and worth buying, are the copies of documents. Scattered throughout the book are copies of original documents that you can pull out and look at. Washington's page has selected pages from a draft of Washington's farewell address. There is a letter from Thomas Jefferson, and six pages from the thirty-four-page draft of Monroe's 1823 message to Congress, which was later known as the Monroe Doctrine. There is a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and a copy of the Gettysburg Address, written in Lincoln's own hand. There is a campaign poster for James A. Garfield, a copy of the formal declaration of war on Germany, issued April 6, 1917, and signed by President Wilson. There are many more documents. It is these source documents that make this book truly unique. I hope to be able to purchase the other books in the series. The series includes these titles: The Declaration of Independence: The Story Behind America's Founding Document and the Men Who Created It, Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin, and Lewis and Clark on the Trail of Discovery: An Interactive History with Removable Artifacts This book retails for $34.99. You can get used and new copies at Amazon. You can also order directly through Amazon. It is currently on sale for $23. And... I'm going to give away a copy, starting tomorrow. That giveaway will end next Wednesday.

I Have the Coolest Dreams

I was standing on the pier. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw the 'bad' guys in a plane. I dove into the drink in order to get away from them. Did I mention I was a spy/protector person? No? Well, I was. I was undercover, protecting some famous guy that needed it.

The guy got captured on someone else's watch, and now I was running for my life. Or, more aptly, diving for my life. The only problem was that the plane was able to turn into a submarine. Who knew? So, there I was, diving deep into the water to avoid capture. The submarine dove, and I tried to surface, but I was too deep. I was going to run out of air. I woke up gasping for breath and pumping with adrenaline. At the time I was coming out of my sleep, my dream was changing to provide me with a 're-breather'. If only I had had time to go back to sleep.

I love my dreams. They almost always include some some kind of spy work. What fun.

Stereotypes and Misconceptions

Dr. Washburn, over at When Evil Prospers, wrote a post that has gotten a few comments that have me up in arms. So, instead of posting the extremely long comment I had formulated in the comments section, I decided to just post it here.

Wow, there’s been a lot that is stereotypical.

First, why must you have a college degree to be able to understand things? Some of the most intelligent people I have met didn’t have a college degree. A college degree does not give you the ability to understand things. Mostly, what it gives you is a piece of paper. Granted, there are things that college is good for. I wouldn’t want a doctor operating on me without training. But, you don’t need a college degree to think about politics, finance, or even be a politician. Yes, the idea that you do need one is elitist.

Pres. Obama ended up winning because the Dems first chose him over Senator Clinton. Then, more people voted Dem, not the other way around. I don’t know if thousands ‘did his bidding’ (Rush's). I know that there were a lot of people out there that didn’t want Pres. Obama winning, and went out of their way to try to keep that from happening. Then, there were those people who thought Rush's suggestion was funny, and did it for that reason. Then, there were people who were sick and tired of Dems doing the same thing to affect the outcome of the Rep. primaries. You think Dems don’t go out of their way to affect the outcome of the primaries in New Hampshire? Then, of course, there were people who did it just because Rush told them to. There will always be those people on both sides of the aisle.

We are not calling our congressmen because Rush told us to. We are calling our congressmen because we are outraged. I was angry that Mitch McConnell voted for the first stimulus package and I will be even angrier if he votes for this one. In fact, if he doesn’t stand up against it, I will be actively working against him in the next election. Of course, I probably will, anyway, he’s too much into spending for me to be able to support him.

However, you now have Republican mayors and governors clamoring for some help and they view their congressmen as obstructionist. Mayors and governors are closer to the people in their states and cities who are not all Limbaugh's sheep

I don’t know about that. I’m much closer to my senator and congressman than the mayor and governor. My congressman is hands-on. I have a pretty close relationship with his field representative. He responds quickly to emails-about anything. I have no idea what my mayor’s name is, let alone who he/she is. Of course, I don’t live within the town limits, so I’m not sure he/she is actually my mayor. I don’t agree with my governor on, basically, anything, so he is definitely not speaking for me. In the large city next door, the mayor wanted a large tax hike last year, and it went down to resounding defeat. While the mayors and governors may be in closer proximity to the people, they don’t always actually know what is going on with their constituency, and if they do, they don’t always care.

while many of their older listeners would be up a creek without the Social Security and Medicare that these "conservatives" would take away from them.

I don’t think any of us want to take Social Security away from the people who are already getting it, but I do want to stop paying for everyone else to retire when I know I will never get Social Security. And, don’t try to tell me that if we would just fix it, everything would be okay. I am 31 years old. There is not enough money in Social Security to support the people who are all due to retire in the next 10 years, let alone the people who will retire in 35 years. Oh, wait, by the time I’m 65, the retirement age for Social Security will be at least 75, maybe 85. The fact of the matter is that Social Security was created at a time when people had multiple children. We do not produce more children than parents anymore. Many states have negative population growth. People need to be responsible for themselves. Please, don’t misunderstand me, here. I am all for taking care of your parents when they are older. I have no problem supporting my in-laws, who are both on Social Security. If both my husband and his sister gave what they are giving to Social Security directly to their parents, they would cover and give more to their parents than what they are getting from Social Security.

I know that many seniors don’t seem to care that they’ve saddled their children with the responsibility for their retirement. After all, that’s what they were taught would be there for them. And, if they don’t care about their children, why would they care about mine? But, I don’t want my children saddled with this ‘stimulus’ package. I want my children to be able to live in their time, not be paying for mine.

I’m sorry, but I don’t think many conservatives would actually call Gen. Powell a conservative.

When Rush talks about ‘drive-bys’ he’s not talking about gangs, he’s talking about the media. Sigh.

Obama is President of ALL of us AMERICANS, and he should be given a chance like all the other 12 presidents I have lived under in good times and in bad.
Ah, yes he is. But, in his two weeks in office, he has done a lot that people don’t like. And, the idea that Bush was given a chance is laughable.

Obama promised to go line by line on any bill and cross off all "pork".
The entire stimulus package is one big pork bill. So, he just needs to veto it.

Most black folks aren't like Limbaugh's stereotype; many are coming up in the world--
I hate having to defend Rush, but really, people who don’t listen to his show, shouldn’t comment about what he thinks. Rush has always said that it is stereotypical to assume that black people can’t do things because they’re black. Rather, they’re people, just like everyone who isn’t black.

Limbaugh, et al don't have to tell us what is in the bills because everything is online.

Have you seen that thing? I don’t have time to read 647 pages of legislation. But, I’ve started. I started with page one.

So, here’s what I’ve discovered that I think is ridiculous so far... I’ll add more as I find them.
Pg. 49 Line 3 For an additional amount for “Periodic Censuses and Programs”, $1,000,000,000

Pg 51 Line 1: for costs associated with the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Program, $650,000,000 (Since I am of the opinion that T.V. is not a necessity, the fact that the government is actually paying for people to have a converter is absolutely ridiculous-and in my opinion unconstitutional.)

I’m starting another post for this, there is just too much to contain in this, already too long, post.

The Stimulus

This is an excruciatingly long post. I'm sorry. In fact, in the end, I just stopped reading the thing (around page 446). It's a pork bill, and that's all there is to it.

Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress. These are a few of the things enumerated:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

You can read the entire section here.

In my opinion, not only is the stimulus package just a load of pork, but it is also unconstitutional. Almost none of this package addresses the Defense or general welfare of the United States. It could be argued that preventing an economic disaster is in the interest of the general welfare. However, providing funding for things like greening of schools, the education of elementary and secondary students, money for artists out of work, etc. does not stimulate the economy. Instead, it just provides money. The economy is not about education or art. It is about money. And, that money does not come from education or art. Let’s get real, people. This is not about the economy. This is about pork, plain and simple. For a much better, and more concise article about the stimulus, please visit National Review Online.


Here are a few quotes:

As Thomas Jefferson said, "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated."

President Grover Cleveland vetoed hundreds of spending measures during his two terms, saying, "I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution."

So Franklin Pierce, who said, after vetoing a well-meaning appropriation for the mentally ill, "I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity." He added, "To approve such spending would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of the States is founded."

For all of you who believe this economic problem was brought on by greedy capitalists:

H/T to Angel

The stimulus is 647 pages long. How many people do you know that have the time to read the entire thing? You can bet your sweet bippy that not all of our senators and congressmen have read it. In fact, I would be willing to bet my sweet bippy that most have not read the entire thing. Of course they have staffers to read it for them, but they are trying to push it through so fast that people don’t have time to read it. No law, spending package, or anything Congress does should be taken lightly. There are very few things that require the congress to rush. This is certainly not one of them. Decisions made in haste, and all that.

Now, I will begin to list the things in the stimulus package that need to be knocked out. Actually, I think the entire thing needs to be knocked out, but these are glaring, in my opinion.

I don’t have the time to list everything, and you probably don’t have the time to read it all. So, I’m just going to start listing stuff. If you see something that I haven’t listed, please chime in. That will save me from having to list everything. I’ll continue to add to this post as I come across it. Please, remember this is from the package that was passed by The House. It is my understanding that the current form is even larger, and some of the things may have already been removed, changed, or increased.
Pg 51 line 10 “Scientific and Technical Research and Services’’, $100,000,000.

Pg 54 line 14 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES For an additional amount for ‘‘Research and Related Activities’’, $2,500,000,000: Provided, That $300,000,000 shall be available solely for the Major Research Instrumentation program and $200,000,000 shall be for activities authorized by title II of Public Law 100–570 for academic research facilities modernization

Pg 55 line 2 For an additional amount for ‘‘Education and Human Resources’’, $100,000,000: Provided, That $60,000,000 shall be for activities authorized by section 7030 of Public Law 110–69 and $40,000,000 shall be for activities authorized by section 9 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002

line 10 For an additional amount for ‘‘Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction’’, $400,000,000, which shall be available only for approved projects.

Pg 62 line 16 (1) $2,000,000,000 shall be for expenses necessary for energy efficiency and renewable energy research, development, demonstration and deployment activities, to accelerate the development of technologies, to include advanced batteries, of which not less than $800,000,000 is for biomass and $400,000,000 is for geothermal technologies. (Because renewable energy research is going to improve the economy.)

Pg 63 line 3 (3) $1,000,000,000 shall be for the cost of grants to institutional entities for energy sustainability and efficiency under section 399A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act

(4) $6,200,000,000 shall be for the Weatherization Assistance Program under part A of title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6861 et seq.).

(5) $3,500,000,000 shall be for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, for implementation of programs authorized under subtitle E of title V of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17151 et seq.).

(Because energy sustainability is going to produce more jobs.)

Pg 64 line 9 (10) $1,000,000,000 shall be for expenses necessary for the manufacturing of advanced batteries authorized under section 136(b)(1)(B) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007

Pg 67 line 11 For an additional amount for ‘‘Science’’, $2,000,000,000: Provided, That of such amounts, not less than $400,000,000 shall be used for the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy authorized under section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538): Provided further, That of such amounts, not less than $100,000,000 shall be used for advanced scientific computing.

On page 65, line 4, $4,500,000,000 is provided for “Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability”. Yet, starting on page 68 line 10, they start specifying monies for borrowing for specific entities.

For instance, it talks about $1,750,000,000 (at a time) for the Western Area Power Administration.

It also talks about $3,250,000,000 in borrowing to the Bonneville Power Administration.

And, I love the fact that on page 74, they allocate $7,700,000,000 to the Federal Buildings Fund, which (only) up to $1,000,000,000 shall be used for construction, repair, and alteration of border facilities and land ports of entry. But, Not less than $6,000,000,000 shall be used for construction, repair, and alteration of Federal buildings for projects that will creat the greatest impact on energy efficiency and conservation; of which $268,000,000, shall remain available until Spetember 20, 2012… Because this is obviously for today’s economy. And $4,000,000 of the amounts provided will be transferred to and merged with “Government-Wide Policy”, for the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings…

Pg 76 line 11 For capital expenditures and necessary expenses of the General Services Administration’s Motor Vehicle Acquisition and Motor Vehicle Leasing programs for the acquisition of motor vehicles, including plug-in and alternative fuel vehicles, $600,000,000

Pg 77 line 12: And yet, while we are willing to allocate 6 billion dollars to energy effiency, we are only willing to allocate 400 million to small businesses. Isn’t this an economic stimulus package? Maybe I misunderstood. But, maybe I can get a grant for my bakery. I take it all back, I’m on board. And, you see, that is why people are willing to support this, even though they know it is wrong.

And, why are they talking about Homeland Security and Defense in this? Isn’t that covered by the defense budget?

Pg 105 line 18 Section 401(b) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1324a note) is amended by striking ‘‘11-year period’’ and inserting ‘‘16-year period’’.

Ah, this is the section of the act that provides for “Employment Eligibility Confirmation.” If this isn’t a special interest provision in the ‘stimulus’ package, I don’t know what is. Why are they talking about illegal immigration in this?

Pg 121 line 21 For an additional amount for ‘‘Facilities Capital’’,
22 $150,000,000, for deferred maintenance projects, and for
23 repair, revitalization, and alteration of facilities owned or
24 occupied by the Smithsonian Institution… Provided, That funds may be
2 transferred to ‘‘Salaries and Expenses’’:

Pg 122 line 11 For an additional amount for ‘‘Grants and Adminis12
tration’’, $50,000,000, to be distributed in direct grants
13 to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in
14 the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philan15
thropic and other support during the current economic
16 downturn:

Pg 125 line 1:
(5) $50,000,000 for YouthBuild activities,
2 which shall remain available for Federal obligation
3 through June 30, 2010 (Take this money out of the education fund.)

Pg 126 line 5 For an additional amount for ‘‘Community Service
6 Employment for Older Americans’’ to carry out title V of
7 the Older Americans Act of 1965, $120,000,000, which
8 shall be available for obligation on the date of enactment
9 of this Act:


Pg 130, line 1 (1) $500,000,000, of which $250,000,000 shall
2 not be available until October 1, 2009, (If this is so desperately needed, why not make it available now?)

Pg 130 line 20 (4) $600,000,000, of which $300,000,000 shall
21 not be available until October 1, 2009, shall be for
22 the training of nurses and primary care physicians
23 and dentists as authorized under titles VII and VIII
24 of the PHS Act, for the provision of health care per25
sonnel under the National Health Service Corps (again with the waiting—yes, I understand that is the start of the new fiscal year, but if it’s not necessary now, why put it in this emergency plan?)

This post is getting amazingly long.

Page 145 line 24, they start providing for a “Prevention and Wellness Fund”. Oh, yes, immunizations and disease prevention programs are going to stimulate the economy. And this provision is for $2,350,000,000. There is actually 1.5 Million Dollars set aside for the Institute of Medicine to make a report with recommendations for national priorities for clinical and community based prevention and wellness activities that will have a positive impact in preventing illness or reducing healthcare costs and that considers input from stakeholders.

Pg 157 line 15: They are providing 13 billion dollars for elementary and secondary education of disadvantaged children. 13 billion dollars provided for something that will in no way help the economy.

Pg 159 line 1: subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-
2 Vento Homeless Assistance Act, $1,066,000,000 (Do what? The education of children of the homeless are provided for in the regular education budget? That’s discrimination.)

There’s 13.6 billion provided on page 160 line 19 for Special Education. I’m still wondering how this is helping our economy.

There is 14 billion set aside for greening of public school facilities.
There is 6 billion set aside for modernization, renovation, and repair for institutes of higher education.

Page 221 Line 7 provides for 1 billion dollars to go to the Community Development fund, with the provision “That in allocating the funds appropriated
14 in this paragraph, the Secretary of Housing and Urban
15 Development shall not require an additional action plan
16 from grantees”. Never mind that we have had massive problems with housing development. Let’s just go ahead and give them more money without further investigation.

Stimulus

H/T Consent of the Governed

Party Challenged

I hate throwing parties. I feel incompetent at it. Believe me, I am completely incompetent. When Gary gets home, however, I want to throw a party. So, I’m thinking about theme parties. A theme party makes everything easier, right? Well, only if you’re not as party challenged as I am. So, I found this site that has lots of ideas for different theme parties. I think Gary and the guys would like the Cigar Lounge decorating, to go with the Playboy mansion theme. But, that won’t be happening. Sorry, guys. Instead, I’m looking at the Night in Havana party with the Cigar Lounge to celebrate the fact that Gitmo is still open, for now. We’ll see. Do you have any ideas?

The Internet and Military Life

I have a friend-in-real-life, Sheri. (She called me sweet. What was she thinkin'?) Anyway, about a year ago, she asked me if I knew Angora Knitter in real life. First of all, she called Angora Knitter by her name. I had no idea who she was talking about. Secondly, the answer was no. She had noticed that I had commented on Angora Knitter's blog. Come to find out, they were stationed together in Texas. A few months ago, Angora Knitter noticed that we're on the same yahoo group. Now, she's moving to my old hometown. It's crazy how small this world is. The military is a 'small' close-knit community. The internet has allowed it to compress further. It's nice to stay in touch with people you might lose touch with if it weren't for the internet. And, it's downright cool to meet people via the internet that you never would have met otherwise. Just don't tell your son that you're getting together with people you met online. Otherwise, you'll be read the riot act. (Which is as it should be.)

Baby Clothes

My baby sister is pregnant. She is making the family’s year by giving birth to a girl. Her daughter will be the first girl, after 11 years and 5 boys. For the first time, I am going to have the opportunity to shop for a girl. (I already have a niece, but she already has so many clothes already.) I have been having a blast wondering the aisles of baby stores looking at baby clothing. I’m doing the same thing online. I found a site that has adorable clothes. They have many things that would make a unique baby gift. They have this really cute mobile that is different from any mobile I have seen before. It is a Baby Zoo mobile. And, they have some truly beautiful, reversible slings. They have many unique baby clothes.
I especially like their Jungle Safari Kiki Halter Dress. I like the fact that it is a jumper, but different. I like the cute little ruffle at the bottom. It is just too cute.

I can definitely see me spending way too much time on this site. I mean, seriously, the Blue Dino Rain boots are probably going to be finding a new home at our house this year. In fact, Xavier just informed me that he would like to have the boots,

Do You Believe in Santa

Yes, I know it is way past Christmas. But, I just found these pictures and thought you might enjoy them.

The Believers

The Reason They Believe

Binoculars for Nosy Neighbors

So, there I was, sitting in my house, looking out the window, being nosy. The only problem was, I couldn’t see well enough. Now, I know that most people want binoculars for things like bird watching, night sky viewing (although telescopes are better for this), watching enemies, etc. I, on the other hand, want binoculars so that I can be a nosy neighbor. The neighborhood I live in now is rather quiet, but man, when I lived on base, I could have used a pair of binoculars, especially if I also had some way of listening in on conversations, too.

I know you’re thinking that since I have moved that I don’t need these binoculars anymore. But, when you really think about it, you’ll understand how a pair of Bushnell binoculars could come in handy. First of all, they are great binoculars, and I can get them for pretty cheap. So, I wouldn’t be wasting a lot of money. Second, the boys could use them for other ‘schooly’ things. Third, well, I can always spy on people at the park. It is amazing what you can see with a pair of binoculars. Oh, and I could maybe go bird watching sometime or use them when we do that minimalist camping.

Winners

I never heard from the winner of the Total Money Makeover contest, so I redrew, today.

And the winner is: Junosmom. No need to email me. :)

The winners for the Ranger Up giveaway are...

# 4 Sadie-kate-08, and # 26 Liz

I decided to give away another shirt since Ranger Up decided to sponsor the first one.

So, ladies, email me ASAP so we can get you your shirts!

I Won an Award!

Shelly, over at The Mom With Brownies nominated me for this award. Thank you, Shelly! You made my day.

This is the Lemonade Nomination. It's an award for blogs that make you feel like you've just sipped an ice cold lemonade on a nice, warm day. A Refreshing Blog with lots of upbeat attitude and at times, just plain attitude!



Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs that show attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on a post.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to this blog.

The folks that make my day are:
Rosetta Stone
her husband: Quaffs and Quibbles (welcome back to blogland, Bill!)
Far Beyond Pearls
Dear Home Front
and....
The Joy of Home (a friend in real life, who is all attitude, all the time;)

Review Tuesday 2-3-2009

All of today's recommendations are for children, although they work equally well for adults. Today's website is Paper Airplane Designs. Our product was a recommendation in Secular Homeschooling Magazine, and now, we're enjoying it--"Snacktime!" by Barenaked Ladies. Finally, the books I'll be reviewing are Usborne's Internet-Linked Encyclopedias.

Paper Airplane Designs:
If you're paper airplane challenged, this is a great website to keep your paper airplane kids happy for days. Just sit right down, grab a stack of paper, and start folding. Soon, it'll look like you had a bunch of kamikaze pilots in your living room.

"Snacktime!" by Barenaked Ladies: This album was recommended in the last issue of Secular Homeschooling Magazine. Thank you, Deborah Markus! I downloaded this, today. Xavier is in fits over the Polywog in a Bog song. I have to agree with him, that "Ribbit. Ribbit." gets me, too.


7 8 9 is fun, too.



I think my favorite is "The Ninjas" (I love the fact that they're playing in a book store!)


But, Crazy ABC's takes the cake.


This is a kid's album you won't mind listening to. Go buy it, today!

Usborne's Internet-Linked Encyclopedias:



Usborne Science Encyclopedia


The boys and I really like these books. In the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, they cover: materials (atoms, molecules, liquids, elements, metals, etc.); mixtures and compounds; energy, forces and motion; earth and space; light, sound and electricity; plants and fungi; animal world; and human body. The two younger boys sit and read these for hours. They have great pictures and illustrations, as well as clear text and explanations for scientific phenomenon.

Planes can fly because of the shape of their wings. The wings are curved on top and flatter underneath. A bird's wings have the same shape. It is called an aerofoil. The air above an aerofoil wing has further to travel than the air under it. When the flow of a gas such as air gets faster, its pressure is reduced. This is called Bernoulli's principle. Because of this, the slower air flowing under the wing has a higher pressure and pushes up on it. This force is called lift, and it causes the wing to rise up into the air.

Each word in bold is in the glossary of science terms.

Usborne Encyclopedia of World Geography

This book covers: planet earth; earthquakes and volcanoes; rivers and oceans; weather; climate; world ecosystems; people and the world; peoples of North America; peoples of South America; peoples of Australasia and Oceania; peoples of Asia; peoples of Europe; peoples of Africa; atlas of the world; maps of North America, South America, Australasia and Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Arctic and Antarctica.

This book, like the Science Encyclopedia, has beautiful pictures, and clear writing.

South American culture is influenced by the traditions of the different types of people who live there. For example, many South Americans love soccer, which came from Europe; samba music from Africa; and foods that combine Spanish, African and Native American influences.

There are, of course, many more types of these encyclopedias, including one for world history, the roman worlds, dinosaurs. They are, in my opinion, very reasonably priced (between $14 and $28) for what you get. These books could provide a great spine for a science program, or you could just stick them where your children like to hang out and watch them fall in love with science and the world.

Amber Alert Refused

Texas has refused to issue an Amber Alert for an 11-year-old girl who was coerced to leave with a 23-year-old convicted felon. The reason for this is that the Texas law includes provision that the child be "unwillingly taken from their environment without permission". I wonder if this applies to children who leave willingly with a non-custodial parent. There are so many reasons this needs to be changed. On the other hand, can you imagine the number of Amber Alerts that would be issued if they issued one for every runaway? This could really cause people to start ignoring Amber Alerts and that would be a problem. I'm torn on this. I have an 11-year-old and I really don't think he's old enough to make the decision to 'run away'. So, perhaps the law could include some age limits for run-aways? What do you think?

Ah, the Bliss

I am happy to report that my internet is back up. I am assuming it is karma. After all, on my way home from the grocery store, I stopped and gave the power guys that had come in from Georgia some cookies. After I finished making supper, I tried my internet, and it was back up. I do wish I knew why my internet was down. It was a 'region wide outage'. I'm wondering if a switching station lost power. Who knows? A lot of my friends have gotten power back. It was 'warm' today, and a lot of the ice and snow melted. I'm assuming it was easier for the power guys to work, plus they didn't have to deal with more trees falling on power lines as they got other lines repaired. I don't know how many people are still without power, but it's supposed to snow, tomorrow. So, I'm hopeful that they get a lot of people up tonight.

My Husband is NOT a Drunk

That is for those people who think his email address is referring to a drink. Well, perhaps it is, in part, but it is referring mostly to me. You see, my maiden name, in shortened form, contains the word 'bourbon.' In fact, my nickname in the Navy was 'Bourbon.' Most people we know, know this. In fact, I have the word 'Bourbon' tattooed on my leg, along with a bourbon bottle with a sailor's cap hanging off it. This tattoo is the reason most people know about my maiden name.

Yet, when friends learn Gary's email address refers to his love of bourbon, they usually don't equate that with me. Which I find hilarious. Yet, I also think it is sad that people are not able to look beyond the obvious and see the humor and love inherent in the email address. There are so many people who refuse to look below the surface of thins and see the true meaning of things. I am afraid that this happens in much more serious things than Gary's email address. I will always be happy, though, that my husband loves me enough to express it in his email address. Who needs jewelry when they have such a visible expression of love as that? For Gary: